jump scare
noun
variants
or less commonly jump-scare
or jumpscare
plural jump scares also jump-scares or jumpscares
: a scripted moment (as in a film or video game) intended to startle the audience
The biggest jolts in "The Omen" … come from conventionally staged jump scares, where a nasty image suddenly flashes on the screen accompanied by a startling sound effect.—
Li Wang
Li Wang… differentiates itself from other VR [=virtual reality] horror games by not resorting to cheap jump-scares, instead flexing its brilliant visuals to build an atmospheric sense of foreboding.—Chris Button
Chris ButtonExamples of jump scare in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sure, there are a few jump scares here and there, but the game’s true horror lies in the suspense of what will happen around the next corner.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Audiences react to jump scares, body horror, and skin-crawling nightmarish imagery, but all work in tandem with audio — or the intentional lack thereof — to drive home discomfort.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2025
Lilly, meanwhile, is isolated from the others and still being tormented by It, who again takes the form of her dead father (by way of an octopus) for a classroom jump scare.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Archer McCain,12, dressed as Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddie’s, a video game known for its puppets and their jump scares.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jump scare
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Bestreviews, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Audiences react to jump scares, body horror, and skin-crawling nightmarish imagery, but all work in tandem with audio — or the intentional lack thereof — to drive home discomfort.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2025
Lilly, meanwhile, is isolated from the others and still being tormented by It, who again takes the form of her dead father (by way of an octopus) for a classroom jump scare.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Archer McCain,12, dressed as Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddie’s, a video game known for its puppets and their jump scares.
—Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jump scare
Cite this Entry
“Jump scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jump%20scare. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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